Counselor is dedicated to helping students
The alarm rings at 5:15 a.m. at Phoebe Janzen's bedside during the school year. One hour later, she can be found at her desk at the limestone school building at Marion Junior/Senior High School.
Janzen serves as student counselor. She advises them on what courses to pursue depending on their interests and desires for the future.
She tries to make her office as friendly as possible. One end of the office, separated from her work station by tall book shelves, is furnished as a "living room" area containing a couch and glider rocker.
"I wanted a homey atmosphere without a table between us," Janzen said.
She uses the area to meet informally with students and/or parents. It also can be a place of rest for a student who isn't feeling well.
Janzen said she arrives at work early in order to have time to do research before students begin coming in. She checks her e-mail and gets information from the Internet.
This reporter spent a good part of the day with Janzen this past Thursday. That day and several days previous were especially busy as Janzen had the responsibility to determine next year's schedules for approximately 240 students.
Early Thursday morning, she worked on a drop-out list — collecting data on those individuals to present to the school board, which requested the information.
(She said the school district assists anyone living in the district who wants to get a GED. This includes people who have moved into the district and have not attended school here. She gathers information on their learning history and determines what they need to graduate. The courses then are set up for them at The Learning Center at Hillsboro. It is up to them to attend and do the work.)
Janzen also gathered information for the state auditor and wrote e-mails to middle and high school teachers about the latest legislative issues.
"I use it a lot," she said about e-mail. "It's a lifesaver. I can communicate with teachers without disrupting their classes."
She also uses it to keep in touch with parents and state agencies.
In addition, she took phone calls from parents on attendance.
She said she has been busy writing reference letters for seniors, doing transcripts, and providing scholarship information. An abundance of material on scholarships and colleges is available at the office.
At 7:30 a.m., she met with Ken Arnhold about a drug awareness workshop to be held April 15.
As a student council sponsor, she met at 7:45 a.m. with several StuCo representatives.
Her first meeting with a student on enrollment came at 7:50 a.m. This scenario continued regularly throughout the day.
In her encounters with the students, she tried to make them feel as comfortable as possible, addressing them in a personable, yet professional, way. She made sure they were enrolled in the necessary courses, then helped them choose electives of interest.
One exchange went this way.
"Hi, how are you? You're doing pretty well, aren't you? Do you like school?"
The student nods his head in the affirmative.
"What is your favorite subject?
"Tech."
"Oh, so you like tech. Let's see if we can find some courses you would like."
She then proceeded to help him choose from the electives available to him.
The meeting set a positive tone for the year to come.
Between classes, the office got particularly busy as students swarmed in and out to talk to Janzen's assistant, attendance clerk Judy Versch, and to set a time to meet with Janzen.
At 10:10 a.m., the counselor met with a mother and two teen-agers who will be moving to Marion from Maryland during the summer. One of the teen-agers will be a freshman, the other a senior.
Because they were coming from a large city, Janzen tried to assure them about life in a small town:
"Here, everybody will know you, but you will get a lot more individual attention from your teachers. There are some disadvantages, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."
After their schedules had been determined, Janzen connected them with two students of the same age, who took them on a tour of the school and introduced them to their future teachers.
At 11:10 a.m., she received a phone call from a parent and gave advice on pertinent subjects for a daughter who will be graduating next year and plans to take nurses' training.
Some students visited Janzen to adjust their schedules, others were setting their schedules for the first time.
This being the final day for enrollment, Janzen ate a light lunch at her desk while talking to a student and didn't plan on eating supper. She expected the meetings to continue until 8 or 8:30 p.m.
Reflecting on her job, Janzen noted that "parents are the key." She said she can work with parents who value education and want their children to succeed.
If a student fails a subject, Janzen sends parents a certified letter informing them that, according to school policy, the student will not be allowed to graduate if he/she fails another subject. She said some parents refuse to accept the letter.
In some cases, she said, parents get angry if she contacts them with a possible problem.
Parents also are the ones who give permission for their child to drop out of school. When a student reaches the age of 16, the individual can quit school with parents' permission.
They and the student meet with Janzen and she informs them of the economic advantages of graduating, figured over a lifetime. Parents then sign a form stating that they have received this information. They sign another form to release the child from school.
Janzen said she would like to establish a parent network, so that somebody facing a similar situation as others could call and talk to them:
"It takes time and effort, and I just don't have enough time."
